uname Command in Linux with Examples

Today you will learn about a command which will help you to get information related to hardware and operating system.

In Linux, there are many commands, with the help of which we can extract information about hardware and software.

Here I have listed some of them:

  • uname
  • lshw
  • lscpu
  • lsblk
  • lsusb
  • dmidecode etc..

In this guide, I will explain to you about uname command.

Let’s get started.

uname is a very basic but useful command that helps you get some key information’s like:

  • Operating System Name
  • Kernel Name and Version
  • Kernel Release Information
  • Network node Hostname/System Hostname
  • System Hardware Name
  • Processor Information
  • Hardware Platform/Architecture details

First of all, let’s focus on some of the most important options that we can use with the uname command.

OptionsExplanation
-a, --allPrint all information.
-s, --kernel-namePrint the kernel name
-n, --nodenamePrint the network node hostname
-r, --kernel-releasePrint the kernel release
-v, --kernel-versionprint the kernel version
-m, --machinePrint the machine hardware name
-p, --processorprint the processor type (non-portable)
-i, --hardware-platformprint the hardware platform (non-portable)
-o, --operating-systemPrint the operating system
--helpDisplay help page of uname Command
--versionCheck the version of uname command

You must follow the syntax given below to use the uname command.

uname [OPTION]...

1. Print all Information

You can use -a option to print all the information’s that the uname command can provide.

In fact, you don’t need to remember any of uname command’s other options. Only this option will provide you all the information.

~$ uname -a
Linux ubuntu 5.3.0-28-generic #30~18.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Fri Jan 17 06:14:09 UTC 2020 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

As you can see, uname has provided us with a lot of information related to hardware and software.

So let’s try to understand one by one.

  • Linux: Kernel Name
  • ubuntu: Hostname of your System
  • 5.3.0-28-generic: Kernel release Info.
  • #30~18.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Fri Jan 17 06:14:09 UTC 2020: Kernel Version
  • x86_64: System Hardware Name/Architecture
  • x86_64: Processor Type
  • x86_64: Hardware Platform
  • GNU/Linux: Operating System
Print all the information's

You can also use the long option --all.

~$ uname --all

2. Display the Hostname Name

To display the Hostname of your system pass the -n option to uname.

~$ uname -n
ubuntu

You can also use the long option --nodename.

~$ uname --nodename

3. Display the Operating System Name

To display the Operating System name pass the -o option to uname.

~$ uname -o
GNU/Linux

You can also use the long option of this command --operating-system.

~$ uname --operating-system

4. Print the Kernel Name using uname Command

To Print the Kernel name pass the -s option to uname Command.

~$ uname -s
Linux

Note: By default, uname command prints the above output without any option.

~$ uname 
Linux

You can also use the long option of this command --kernel-name.

~$ uname --kernel-name

5. Print the Kernel Release Information

To Print the Kernel release information pass the -r option to uname.

~$ uname -r
5.3.0-28-generic

You can also use the long option of this command --kernel-release.

~$ uname --kernel-release

6. Print the Kernel Version

To Print the Kernel Version pass the -v option to uname.

~$ uname -v
#30~18.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Fri Jan 17 06:14:09 UTC 2020

You can also use the long option --kernel-version.

~$ uname --kernel-version

7. Display Machine Hardware Name/Architecture

To Print the Machine Hardware Name/Architecture pass the -m option to uname.

~$ uname -m
x86_64

You can also use the long option --machine.

~$ uname --machine

8. Print the Processor type/Architecture

To Print the Processor type/Architecture pass the -p option to uname.

~$ uname -p
x86_64

You can also use the long option --processor.

~$ uname --processor

9. Print the Hardware Platform

To Print the Hardware Platform pass the -i option to uname.

~$ uname -i
x86_64

You can also use the long option --hardware-platform.

~$ uname --hardware-platform

10. Print multiple Information’s using uname Command

You can combine more than one option to print multiple information.

Let’s take some examples.

Task #1 – Print Kernel Name, Release Information, and Version.

~$ uname -srv
Linux 5.3.0-28-generic #30~18.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Fri Jan 17 06:14:09 UTC 2020

Task #2 – Print Hostname and Operating System name.

~$ uname -no
ubuntu GNU/Linux

11. Help/Manual page access

Use the following commands to access the Manual Page/Help Page of uname command.

~$ uname --help
~$ man uname

12. Check the version of uname

Check the uname command version using the following command.

~$ uname --version

Infographic

Refer to this Infographic for complete uname command options.

uname Command

You can visit at following websites to get more information on uname command.

Conclusion

I hope you have learned something from this article.

I have tried my best to include all the features of uname command in this guide.

Now I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Was this guide useful to you?

Or maybe you have some queries.

Have I not included any command in this guide?

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